Beijing: “Evil Unbound,” depicting atrocities committed by Japan’s notorious Unit 731, has emerged as one of the standout movies across the eight-day National Day holiday.

According to Namibia Press Agency, data from the China Film Administration indicates that the 2025 National Day box office from Oct. 1 to 8 generated nearly 1.84 billion yuan (about 259 million U.S. dollars), a decline from last year’s 2.1 billion yuan over a shorter, seven-day period. “Evil Unbound” ranked second in daily charts for six consecutive days starting Oct. 2.

Chen Kaige’s war epic “The Volunteers: Peace at Last” led the holiday charts, grossing 451 million yuan, followed by “Evil Unbound” at around 345 million yuan. Notably, aside from “Evil Unbound,” all other titles in the National Day holiday’s top five were newly released films that premiered on or after Sept. 30. These include the fantasy sequel “A Writer’s Odyssey II,” comedy “Row to Win,” and crime thriller “Sound of Silence,” which collected around 295 million yuan, 219 million yuan, and 175 million yuan, respectively.

“Evil Unbound” focuses on the horrors of Unit 731, a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base established by Japanese forces in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin. This location served as the nerve center for Japan’s biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during WWII. Historical records suggest that between 1940 and 1945, Unit 731 used at least 3,000 people in human experiments, resulting in the deaths of more than 300,000 people in China due to Japan’s biological weapons.

The film’s continued success echoes the strong performance of the summer hit “Dead to Rights,” which depicted the 1937 Nanjing Massacre committed by Japanese aggressors. Both films have resonated deeply with Chinese audiences, tapping into enduring themes of historical memory and the pursuit of peace.